Bottleworks Tripel Krullekop

Brewed by De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Abbey Tripel
Lochristi, Belgium

Bottled. Copperish color with a white head. Yeasty aroma with a good deal of malt and alcohol. Candi sweet and malty with tons of alcohol. Exceedingly dry finish.

Bottle. Pours golden, with a bit of haze, but there is a fair amount of sediment. Tight white head, but it disappated quickly. Some floral notes and hints of spice, but otherwise a very light nose. Medium body. Sweet upfront, but balances in the finish with some spiciness and alcohol. Alcohol warms, but it’s not as strong as you’d expect for this size beer. As others have said, it may not be the best tripel out there, but it’s certainly one of the best bangs for the buck. Good solid beer.

Bottleworks of Seattle sounds like an interesting place. This was a pretty decent but not exceptional Tripel. Amber body with small white head. Sweet corn, floral hops, spice, maple in the aroma. Medium body with a smooth, silky texture. Flavor started slightly sweet and finished with some bitterness. Well balanced. Not bad.

Bottled 2002 (or 2004? cant remember, and I already threw the bottle away) - pours out yellow with a white head that foams up quickly then disappears. Taste is oaky, fruity, and spicy. Pretty good, 9.8% ? I dunno, seems high to me. The alcohol is not noticed if it is actually almost 10%. Pretty good, worth a try, not something I would buy again though.

Body is a foggy gold/orange with a thin white head. Aroma is apples, yeast, white wine, cider. Taste is very fruity, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and yeasty. Pretty nice tripel.

11.2 oz bottle dated 2004. Pours hazy gold / brown with nice head - falls down with nice lacing. Aroma is of candi sugar, carmel, cereal and wonderful earthiness. Taste has a nice sweetness, but not cloying. Lots of malty flavor. Taste has a bit of mustiness due to the aging, but not bad for being from a couple years ago. While this is not the best tripel I’ve had, at $1.29 a bottle it is an enjoyable steal. The bottle states the ABV at 9.8%, if this is the case it is well hidden - that figure seems about 1 - 1.5% too high to me.

Pale yellow and hazy with little head. Lightly sour aroma with alcohol, pear and some minerals. Strange flavor that reminds me of the aroma of a manzanita bush. Relatively prominent alcohol. Spicy with a balanced bitter finish. All in all not bad.

From the bottle

Pours a hazy amber with a ridiculous density of floaty bits; the aroma is very pleasant, lemon and belgian yeast and cloves, bread dough, tropical fruit. The flavor is sweet and deeply fruity, lots of cut with a sufficiently bitter finish to make the overall impression a very nice one. The yeasts are abundant but not overpowering; the palate is full and buttery, the alcohol is almost unobservable (I would have guessed 8%, not 9.8%).

On the whole, a very pleasant, highly drinkable tripel. I’d repeat the experience happily.